Abstract

Chair (10) comprising a seat-part (11) on which to sit and a support element (16) defining a support surface (17) for the positioning of objects. The support element (16) is movable with respect to the seat-part (11) and able to be selectively positioned between a first closed condition in which the support surface (17) is comprised inside the bulk of the seat-part (11), and a second extracted condition in which the support surface (17) protrudes partly outside the bulk of the seat-part (11), to allow objects to rest thereon.

Description

"CHAIR AND SUPPORT ELEMENT"

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a chair provided with a support element for objects.

Here and in the following description and claims, the term 'chair' shall include any furnishing element suitable for sitting on, such as a stool, an armchair, a bench, a seat, a deckchair or suchlike. It cannot be excluded, however, that the support element can be equally applied to other furnishing elements as well, not specifically designed for sitting on, such as tables, shelves, counters or others.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chairs or other furnishing elements suitable for sitting on are known, in which at least a seat-part is provided, and one or more support legs that keep the seat- part at a determinate height from the floor. Chairs are also known provided with a back, arms, or other completion elements, conformed to improve the conditions of sitting and comfort of the chair.

The need is also known to lay aside or temporarily remove objects, such as bags, pouches or other when one is in a sitting position. To avoid having to put such objects on the floor or on a possible table, it is known to use the completion elements of the chair as a rest or support, for example the back of the chair to hang a shoulder bag on.

The completion elements are only suitable for their specific function of improving the comfort of the seat, and do not guarantee an efficient and safe resting place or support for the objects.

Moreover, very often, the design of the chair involves curved structures which absolutely do not allow the functions of resting and supporting objects.

In fact, the objects resting in this way slip or accidentally fall to the floor, or they are in a difficult position to reach for the person who is seated, or again they are easily reachable by ill-intentioned people.

Purpose of the present invention is to make a chair which allows to overcome the disadvantages of the state of the art.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to
overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purpose, a chair according to the present invention comprises at least a seating element to sit on.

According to a characteristic feature of the present invention, the chair also comprises at least a support element defining a support surface to position objects, such as bags, pouches, keys, phones or other.

The support element is movable with respect to the seat-part and is able to be selectively positioned between a first closed condition in which its support surface is comprised inside the bulk of the seat-part, and a second extracted condition in which its support surface protrudes at least partly outside the bulk of the seat-part, to allow objects to be rested thereon.

With the present invention it is therefore possible to selectively define an auxiliary support plane which protrudes from the bulk of the seat-part and therefore, next to the seated user. In this way, the objects which one normally removes when one sits down can be comfortably and efficiently rested on the support element in its extracted condition, in a position which is in any case under the control, and within reach, and substantially safe, without the risk that the objects can slip or accidentally fall onto the floor. It comes within the scope of the present invention to provide that the support element can be equally applied to any furnishing element other than a chair, for example a table, movable with respect to a panel of the furnishing element. In fact, if it is applied to a furnishing element other than a chair, the support element solves the disadvantages of the state of the art in the same way. According to a variant, guide means are provided, with which the support element is associated, and conformed so as to allow the support element to move selectively, and in a guided way, between the two conditions.

In this way the support element can be easily and comfortably extracted
substantially by any user, and the limit conditions, closed and extracted, can be defined with greater precision and repeatability.

According to a variant, the guide means comprise one or more linear guides able to allow a linear movement of the support element, for example in extraction from one side of the seat-part, between the two conditions, closed and extracted.

According to another variant, the guide means comprise at least a pin able to allow a rotation movement of the support element, between the two conditions, closed and extracted.

According to another variant, at least a positioning and movement mechanism is provided, for example elastic, associated with the support element to facilitate the extraction and positioning conditions of the support element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 is a partly sectioned three-dimensional view of a chair according to the present invention, in a first operating condition;

- fig. 2 shows the chair in fig. 1 in a second operating condition;

- fig. 3 shows an enlarged and sectioned detail of the chair in fig. 1; - fig. 4 shows a variant of the chair in fig. 1;

- fig. 5 shows another variant of the chair in fig. 1;

- fig. 6 shows a view from below of another variant of the chair according to the present invention;

- fig. 7 is an exploded view of an enlarged detail of the variant in fig. 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF

EMBODIMENT

With reference to figs. 1, 2 and 3, a chair 10 according to the present invention comprises a seat-part 11, four legs 12, a frame 13 and a back 15.

The chair 10 also comprises a support element 16 provided with a support plane 17 and mounted sliding with respect to the seat-part 11, by means of two sliding guides 19.

The chair 10 according to the present invention, like all the parts of which it is comprised and characterized, can be made indifferently in wood, or wood
substitute material, plastic or other.

In this case, the sliding guides 19 are mounted on a lower surface of the seat- part 11 and are oriented and conformed to allow the linear extraction of the support element 16. In this case, the sliding guides 19 each comprise a sliding groove 22 having a substantially rectangular cross section (fig. 3).

It is not excluded that the sliding grooves 22 can have a trapezoidal section, to define a swallowtail sliding coupling.

In this case the sliding guides 19 are reciprocally staggered so as not to interfere with structural elements of the frame 13.

According to the variant shown in fig. 5, the sliding guides 19 are made directly on the seat-part 11.

According to another variant, the sliding guides 19 are mounted on the frame 13, or part of this, or on the legs 12. As shown in fig. 2 the support element 16 is extracted laterally with respect to the seat-part 11.

According to some variants, the support element 16 can also be extracted from the front or back with respect to the seat-part 11.

In particular, the support element 16 is selectively positionable between a first closed condition (fig. 1), in which its support surface 17 is comprised in the lateral bulk of the seat-part 11, and a second extracted condition (fig. 2), in which its support surface 17 is at least partly extracted from the lateral bulk of the seat- part 11, and allows objects to be supported.

In the extracted condition, the support element 16 in any case remains constrained for a segment to the sliding grooves 22, and protrudes from the seat- part 11 by an amount such that, also depending on its thickness, it guarantees a sufficient mechanical grip for an efficient support of the objects.

In this case, the support element 16 is shown with a constant thickness.

According to a variant, the support element 16 has a variable thickness coordinated with the local mechanical stresses which can occur in the extracted condition and with the objects resting on the support surface 17.

According to a variant, the support element 16 comprises one or more mechanical end-of-travel elements which define its limit position at least in
extracted condition.

The support element 16 comprises, in this case, an extraction hole 20, which allows the user to easily extract the support element 16, grasping it with a finger through the extraction hole 20. The support surface 17 is at least partly shaped to enhance the conditions for supporting the objects.

According to a variant, one or more perimeter containing edges are provided on the support surface, which limit the chances of the objects accidentally falling sideways. According to another variant the support surface 17 is divided into containing sectors.

According to another variant, a holding mechanism, for example a spring, is provided on the support surface 17, which allows to keep the object stable on the support surface 17. According to another variant, the support element 16 is associated with a clamping mechanism, which keeps it removably in the closed condition and in the extracted condition.

According to another variant, the clamping mechanism is associated with an elastic member, for example a spring, which allows to accompany the support element 16 both during the extraction movement and also during the closing movement.

According to another variant, the support element 16 comprises two or more reciprocally sliding elements, to define a telescopic extraction of the support element 16. As shown in fig. 4, the support element 16 is moved in a rotary way between its two conditions, closed and extracted.

In this solution, instead of the sliding guides 19, a pin 21 is provided which connects the support element 16 to the lower surface of the seat-part 11.

According to the variant shown in figs. 6 and 7, the sliding assembly of the support element 16 and the seat-part 11 of the chair 10 is achieved by means of a single sliding guide 23.

In this case, the sliding guide 23 is made of metal, it is assembled centrally on the frame 13 on the lower surface of the seat-part 11 and is orientated and
conformed to allow the linear extraction of the support element 16.

In this case, the sliding guide 23 is assembled on the frame by means of two assembly components 25 and 26, having different lengths with respect to each other and which can be reciprocally coupled telescopically, in order to regulate the overall length of the sliding guide 23 and therefore to adapt it substantially to any type of frame 13.

Advantageously, the two assembly components 25 and 26 are conformed so as to define an inclined assembly, or at least not parallel, of the sliding guide 23 with respect to the seat-part 11, so as to compensate any possible coupling play of the support element 16 with the sliding guide 23 itself, so that the support element 16 is substantially parallel to the seat-part 11.

The sliding guide 23 defines a sliding groove 27, substantially linear, inside which a slider 29 is able to slide.

The slider 29 is made of plastic material, advantageously of the self- lubricating type, and is attached to the lower surface of the support element 16, so as to be solid with the latter during the movement.

Moreover, between the slider 29 and the sliding guide 23 an elastic stopping element 30 is disposed, able to stabilize the positioning of the support element 16 in its two limit positions, closed and open, so as to prevent an accidental movement of the support element 16.

It is clear, however, that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the chair 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

For example, it comes within the scope of the present invention to provide a solution, not shown, in which the support element 16 is applicable to a table and is suitable, for example holed, to house an ice bucket suitable to contain bottles, and also for the generic support of other objects.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of chair and support element, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

Claims

1. Chair comprising at least a seat-part (11) on which to sit, characterized in that it also comprises at least a support element (16) defining a support surface (17) for the positioning of objects, said support element (16) being movable with respect to said seat-part (11) and able to be selectively positioned between a first closed condition in which said support surface (17) is comprised inside the bulk of the seat-part (11), and a second extracted condition in which said support surface (17) protrudes at least partly outside the bulk of said seat-part (11), to allow objects to rest thereon.

2. Chair as in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises guide means (19, 21) with which said support element (16) is associated, and conformed so as to allow said support element (16) to selectively move, and in a guided way, between said two conditions, closed and extracted.

3. Chair as in claim 2, characterized in that said guide means comprise one or more linear guides (19) able to allow a linear movement of said support element

(16) between said two conditions, closed and extracted.

4. Chair as in claim 2, characterized in that said guide means comprise at least a pin (21) able to allow a rotation movement of the support element between said two conditions, closed and extracted.

5. Chair as in claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that said guide means are assembled on a bottom surface of said seat-part (11).

6. Chair as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises at least a positioning and movement mechanism associated with said support element (16) and able to facilitate the conditions of movement and stable positioning of said support element (16) in said two conditions, closed and extracted.

7. Chair as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises at least a gripping mechanism, associated with said support element (16) and able to stably maintain the object resting on said support surface (17).

8. Chair as in claim 1, characterized in that the sliding guide (23) is assembled on the frame by means of two assembly components (25, 26) able to be coupled telescopically with each other, to regulate the overall length of the sliding guide (23) and to adapt it to the frame (13).

9. Chair as in claim 1, characterized in that the sliding guide (23) defines a sliding groove (27), substantially linear, inside which a slider (29) is able to slide attached to the lower surface of the support element (16).

10. Support element for a chair (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, comprising a support surface (17) to allow objects to be supported, used in a movable association with respect to a panel (11) of said chair (10) and able to be selectively positioned between a first closed condition in which said support surface (17) is comprised inside the bulk of said panel (11), and a second extracted condition in which said support surface (17) protrudes at least partly outside the bulk of said panel (11).